Canada's Technologie Biolactis is introducing a new ingredient from
pasturized fermented whey that can be used as a healthier
alternative to fat in dairy and other foods - and the same platform
is also being researched for the...
A collaboration of Norwegian and US scientists has produced the
largest ranking of antioxidant foods to date, including processed
foods, fresh fruit and vegetables.
The flesh of grapes is just as heart healthy as the skin, says a
laboratory study by Italian and US researchers, a result that may
challenge the idea that red wine offers better cardiovascular
protection than white.
The sun might still be out over much of Europe, but August is the
month when retailers start placing their orders of products to help
boost the immune system and ward off coughs and colds over the
winter months.
Riding on the overall trend to fortify foods, the US phytosterol
market will nearly double by 2012, reports Frost & Sullivan -
making room for more players in the heart-healthy ingredient niche.
Scientists in the US have received a $2 million grant from the
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease to investigate
if increased intake of antioxidants can protect against tick-borne
illnesses.
The UK herbal sector has reached an agreement with the medicines
regulator over labelling of black cohosh products with liver injury
warnings, and has asked it to review the safety data again next
year.
Laying the blame for a fatter world at the feet of the food
industry has become a convenient mistake, and until this is
recognized there is little chance of controlling the growing
obesity epidemic.
Naturex has become the latest ingredients supplier to solicit halal
approval for its production plants, in an effort to access the
potential of the market for modern foods that meet the strict
standards adhered to by Islamic communities.
A diet rich in certain flavonoids, from eating plenty of fruit and
vegetables, could reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by over 40
per cent, says a large observational study from Italy.
A daily supplement of chromium picolinate, in combination with a
common anti-diabetic medication, could improve blood sugar levels
as well as cutting weight gain by 60 per cent, says a US clinical
trial.
The older children get the more likely they are to stray from
dietary guidelines, found researchers at the University of Alabama,
who say small increases in fruit and vegetable consumption could
dramatically improve the quality of...
Advitech looks set to add another string to the bow of uses for its
XP-828L platform with good preliminary results from a study
assessing its effects on atopic dermatitis, while unexpected demand
for Dermylex for psoriasis has necessitated...
The US government has proposed that its Women, Infants and Children
(WIC) nutritional program should be revised for the first time in
over 25 years in order to better reflect the Dietary Guidelines for
Americans.
Researchers investigating the interplay between nutrition, genetic
variation and birth defects have reported their first positive
results on copper metabolism, stoking hopes that their approach may
eventually enable every expectant...
The North American market for lignan-containing dietary supplements
is streets ahead of Europe's, indicates data from Mintel,
suggesting that there is scope for more educational efforts aimed
at formulators and consumers on this...
Finland's recent introduction of mandatory fortification of certain
foods with vitamin D is boosting intake of the vitamin and offers
encouragement for other countries considering similar measures.
Martek Biosciences has forged a relationship with another major
food group, Hain Celestial, in a bid to see its microalgae-derived
omega-3 used in a broader range of infant formulas and other food
and beverage products.
Over a third of US respondents in a recent survey said they don't
know if they have consumed products enriched for gastrointenstinal
health in the past 6 months, indicating more awareness is still
needed on this side of the Atlantic.
Operating losses are down at PacificHealth Laboratories in the
third quarter thanks to the sale of its sports drink brand
Accelerade - a relief for the company following a near cease of
operations in August 2005.
Two apples a day, or a glass of apple juice, could keep Alzheimer's
at bay by boosting levels of a neurotransmitter, according to
results from an animal study.
Burcon NutraScience and ADM have entered into material transfer
agreements with client food and beverage companies for canola
proteins Puratein and Supertein - the latest step on a long path to
bringing the potentially groundbreaking...
Decas Botanical Synergies has introduced a cranberry
proanthocyanidin-standardized powder it claims is particularly high
in the compound used for urinary tract infections - allowing
formulators to target uses of the product more effectively.
Research into the ways in which crops derive micronutrients from
the soil could make it possibly to engineer higher-yield,
nutrient-rich crops in poor quality soils and increase biomass in
soils currently under cultivations, claim...
Coverage of the New Scientist article questioning the benefits of
antioxidant supplements has generated a flurry of feedback from
industry and health care practioners, in agreement with and
disputing the arguments.
Dutch biotech group Pharming has played a successful balancing act
with its finances in first half 2006, with both costs and expenses
and losses totalling €8.1mm as awaits the US FDA's review of its
GRAS filing for its human...
Over 70 per cent of seemingly healthy teenage girls may be vitamin
D deficient, says a British study, and are at increased risk of
osteoporosis and other health problems later in life.
Milk produced by transgenic goats is seen to shore up protective
intestinal bacteria against illness, thanks to the antibacterial
action of an enzyme found in human breast milk; if the findings
hold true for humans it could help prevent...
Supplements of a folic acid derivative result in higher blood
folate levels than straight folic acid, and could be an alternative
for the prevention of neural tube defects, says a study from
Germany.
The benefits of antioxidant supplements, from vitamins and
carotenoids to polyphenols, are just a 'myth', says an article in
the New Scientist magazine.
New Zealand dairy Fonterra must add a warning label to its new
vitamin K-enriched milk and yoghurt to reduce the risk for people
taking the blood thinning drug Warfarin, said the New Zealand food
authorities yesterday.
Phytonutrient supplier Sabinsa has been granted a US patent for its
weight management ingredient Garcitrin, thereby adding to the body
of knowledge surrounding the use of hydroxycitric acid compounds.
Plans are already afoot to ensure input from all concerned at the
next stage of setting maximum vitamin and mineral levels in
supplements and fortified foods under EU law, with a conference
planned by EHPM in November.
BASF's fine chemicals division reported a huge rise in operating
profits in second quarter 2006 - no thanks to vitamins. Rather,
credit is given to a swift trade in aroma chemicals and gains from
contract manufacturing and personal...
Spraying grapes with a safe anti-bacterial agent could triple the
nutraceutical content, says a study from Italy, but the effects are
not carried over into wine.
The heart health of the baby-boom generation could benefit from
flavanol-rich cocoa, reports a study co-funded by Mars, but
independent experts warn against confusion with commercial
chocolate snacks.
Malaysian vitamin E supplier Carotech has signed an exclusive
agreement with Metagenics for distribution of its tocotrienol
complex Tocomin Suprabio to healthcare practitioners in North
America - the latest in a series of moves the...
Canadian softgels supplier Accucaps is prepared to introduce its
encapsulation products across the high-potential EU after being
added to the bloc's consolidated list of approved suppliers.
ADM's food and feed ingredients were a blip on the face of an
otherwise rosy full year 2006, due to a slip in operating profits
partly attributed natural health and nutrition operations.
The message that good nutrition and supplement intake can support
eye health will now be part of professional development for
optometrists through American Optometric Association (AOA)
instruction forums.
Natraceutical Group is purchasing French supplement maker
Laboratoires Forté Pharma - a move that propels it into the
lucrative finished production section and that is expected to boost
its turnover by more than 50 per cent.
A new dark chocolate bar, formulated by a US-based research food
technology company, promises to increase libido, boost energy
levels and improve mood thanks to exotic rainforest ingredients.
Quercetin and curcumin, compounds found naturally in onions and
curry, could reduce the risk of colon cancer, suggests a small
clinical trial from the US.
Increased intake of vitamin B6, from diet and supplements, could
cut the risk of Parkinson's disease by half suggests a prospective
study from the Netherlands.
Heat treatments used to kill harmful bacteria in soymilk may be
damaging the healthy compounds found in the beverage, according to
a Chinese scientist.
In the past 18 months, consumer awareness of plant lignans and
their human metabolites has grown with media coverage of studies
proposing health benefits. But where does the science stand at
present?
Industry giants are locked in a "fish oil arms race" to develop genetically modified crops that could challenge the supremacy of fish as the best source of omega-3 fatty acid, with both BASF and DuPont reporting progress in the field.
Florida-based Neptune Industries is taking steps towards patent
protection and commercialization of the technology behind a
protein-based nutritional component that it says may one day prove
useful in supplying third world countries...